Learning Outcomes

demonstrate a good detailed knowledge of the key developments in French culture between 1789 and the present day;

demonstrate analytical skills as readers of key 20th-century events in French culture;

demonstrate that they have mastered a thorough knowledge of different theoretical approaches to the study of culture;

demonstrate that they can relate general theoretical issues to particular case studies in a critical fashion;

demonstrate that they can discuss and evaluate critically the pros and cons of various approaches and frameworks used in cultural studies and be able to articulate their own stance on these debates;

express them clearly, coherently and in a logical fashion, orally and in writing.

Brief description

This course will examine a range of cultural texts in order to introduce students to the development of French culture and society between 1789 and the end of the First World War, the rationale of this course being to help them understand better the roots of contemporary French culture and society. The subsequent period of time from 1918 to the present is dealt with in the French section of the co-requisite core course 'Key Moments in Modern European Culture'. Through the prism of literature and film, students will explore the longstanding influence of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic era on French contemporary society. The history of the nineteenth century, the second and third Republics, 1848-51, the Third Empire, the Franco-Prussian war and the Commune de Paris, 1870-71, all the way to the First World War, 1914-18, will be examined through the works of politicians and writers like Saint-Just, Victor Hugo, Flaubert, Maupassant, Zola, Jules Valles, Henry Barbusse. In this way, students will gain not only a detailed knowledge of the politics and culture of the period, but also increase their competence as critical readers of culture.

Module Skills

Skills Type

Skills details

Application of Number

n/a

Communication

participating in seminars and writing of essay will require student to express their ideas clearly, cogently and coherent

Improving own Learning and Performance

independent preparation for essay and seminars, independent research for essay and seminars

Information Technology

students will be required to sccess bibliographical information and to submit word-processed essays. They will also be expected to use the LRC to access films and film databases

Personal Development and Career planning

student will be expected to show an ability to manage their own time effectively and to engage in independent lines of research in preparing their essays.

Problem solving

selection of reading material, answering questions posed by written assessment, seminar work

Research skills

researching for essay and for seminars

Subject Specific Skills

students will be required to read material in French in order to prepare for seminars and/or essays.